TL;DR: LinkedIn SEO involves optimizing your account and content for better ranking and visibility. Some of the LinkedIn SEO factors include using relevant keywords in your profile content, posting high-quality content, and engaging with posts published by other people in your network.
Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about SEO to get noticed on LinkedIn.
Are you trying to promote your business on LinkedIn but don’t see any results? You’re not alone. LinkedIn is a large platform with more than a billion members. Your profile can easily get lost in the sea of information.
The solution to this is to employ the tactic of search engine optimization (SEO) on LinkedIn. Not sure how SEO principles are applicable to social media? Let’s fix it together!
Outline
What is LinkedIn SEO?
LinkedIn SEO, or Search Engine Optimization on LinkedIn, is the process of optimizing your LinkedIn profile and content for increased visibility. Ultimately, SEO helps your page appear higher in the search results on LinkedIn and beyond.
Each social media user’s approach to SEO depends on their goals. Users who want to sell their products, hire a new employee, or find a job would all use a different approach to profile optimization. Additionally, as the LinkedIn search engine evolves, the SEO best practices change as well.
Why is LinkedIn SEO important?
Many professionals don’t seem to get noticed on LinkedIn, despite their expertise and qualifications. This problem doesn’t plague social media only, though. If you’ve ever launched a business website, you probably faced the same issue at some point.
Digital marketers optimize LinkedIn pages for the same reason they use SEO for any webpage. Being placed high in the search results means more people will visit your website. In fact, research shows that the first result in a Google search receives 27.6% of all clicks. What’s more, very few users click on any result links lower than the second place.
Search ranking on social media works in a similar fashion. Your LinkedIn profile, business page, or post should be among the top three results in the search to get significant traffic. LinkedIn SEO optimization can help you get there.
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🔎 Pro-tip: To successfully promote your business on social media, combine SEO with other essential elements of the LinkedIn strategy. Download our free guide to discover the holistic approach that results in effective social selling. |
How LinkedIn SEO impacts your SSI
Users who want to succeed on LinkedIn usually strive to improve their LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI). This metric reflects how well users develop their professional brand and cultivate meaningful professional relationships. Higher SSI means better sales on social media.
Utilizing SEO for LinkedIn positively influences your SSI. After all, SEO helps you reach a wider, relevant audience and effectively engage with it. This is an essential part of growing your network and establishing expertise, which leads to improved SSI.
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🔎 Pro-tip: To boost your SSI, focus on building meaningful connections on the platform. This involves sending connection requests to relevant individuals in your industry, creating high-quality content, and engaging with posts published by people within your network. Snov.io’s LinkedIn lead generation tool automatically tracks your Social Selling Index score. Each action you automate with this solution (profile views, messages, InMails, etc.) positively impacts your SSI.  Snov.io takes data protection and account safety very seriously. That’s why we equipped our software with a location-based proxy for each LinkedIn account you connect, a warm-up mode, and smart safety limits and delays between actions to help you avoid LinkedIn jail. |
Top 10 factors that affect your LinkedIn SEO ranking
There are multiple components that contribute to effective SEO optimization:
- Profile сompleteness
- Keyword optimization
- Content quality
- Engagement
- Number of connections
- Custom URL
- Recommendations and endorsements
- Photos, videos, and other media additions
- External backlinks
- Industry relevance
1. Profile completeness
The LinkedIn algorithm favors complete profiles. In order for your profile to be ranked higher, essential fields like headline, summary, and skills must be filled out. SEO for LinkedIn profiles includes:
- Creating a clear and engaging LinkedIn headline that reflects your professional identity.
- Writing a detailed, keyword-rich summary describing who you are and what you have to offer to your clients.
- Describe your job experiences and achievements to show your professionalism.
- Adding and endorsing skills that reflect your expertise and matter to your prospective clients or employers.
- Adding a professional photo to your profile makes it look trustworthy and authentic.
2. Keyword optimization
The algorithm decides whether your page is relevant to the particular search based on the words you use in your profile and content. Keywords that you should implement include the name of your industry, job titles, skills, niche-specific terminology, and product features.
Here’s what our SEO expert recommends:
Organically incorporate primary keywords, keyword variations, and semantically relevant terms to describe your career.
Fill out all possible sections of your profile on LinkedIn, including certifications, projects, skills, and an extensive description of your accomplishments and professional experiences under each employment, to ensure that it is as comprehensive as possible.
SEO Specialist at Snov.io
3. Content quality
Simply stuffing your page with keywords won’t help your SEO. LinkedIn aims to ensure that users find high-quality, helpful content. It awards higher ranks to profiles and posts that incorporate original, well-written content packed with valuable information.
4. Engagement
LinkedIn is a networking platform, so it rewards consistent engagement. Regularly posting, commenting, forging new connections, and messaging others signals the algorithm that you’re an active user. As a result, your content and profile rank higher.
5. Number of connections
LinkedIn aims to help its users discover content and profiles that offer the most value. You can demonstrate your expertise and credibility by having a large network of professionals from your target industry.
6. Custom URL
Just like with websites, a personalized URL helps with both LinkedIn and external search engine ranking. The most searchable URL should include your name or keywords that your target audience is likely to look for.
7. Recommendations and endorsements
In addition to the number of relevant connections, endorsements for skills and written recommendations highlight your authority and improve your reputation. While it isn’t technically SEO, it still has a positive influence on your search ranking.
8. Photos, videos, and other media additions
As mentioned before, engaging with your audience is a good SEO practice. Including videos, images, or documents in your posts attracts attention and boosts engagement.
9. External backlinks
Similarly to webpages, LinkedIn profiles earn higher search rankings thanks to external backlinks. The more links from other websites that point to your profile, the higher it will appear in search results. This is true not only for LinkedIn’s internal search but also for search engines like Google.
10. Industry relevance
Participating in industry-specific discussions improves your rank within niche searches. Thus, joining relevant groups and creating content related to specific topics works in your favor.
LinkedIn SEO tips from Snov.io experts
Now that we’ve covered what influences your search ranking, it’s time for some actionable advice. Drawing from our experience with LinkedIn search engine optimization, we’ve compiled a list of hacks that will help you rank higher.
- Make use of the “Featured” section. This section of your profile is the perfect place to showcase your expert content. But not only that – it’s a vital part of SEO. Place the industry-relevant keywords in this section to make your profile more visible to relevant users.
- Optimize job descriptions. Write detailed role summaries, naturally weaving keywords into the text. List your achievements, preferably using quantifiable benchmarks to clearly demonstrate your expertise.
- Create a short and effective URL. It’s best to use your full name as a URL, but you can also add niche-specific keywords to it for better searchability. Those can be your profession, industry, or segment that you serve.
- Always add hashtags to your posts. Research trending hashtags relevant to your niche and incorporate them into your content. Don’t overdo it, though. 3-5 strategic hashtags are enough for people to discover your page.
- Ask for recommendations. Request personalized recommendations from your colleagues, partners, and clients. While asking for a recommendation, specify which keywords will benefit your page’s visibility.
- Mention your location on your profile. Users often search for businesses and professionals near them. A profile with a specified location will appear higher in such searches.
- Use alt text. Most search engines consider alt text while processing a search request. That’s why it’s vital to add descriptive alt text for images in your posts. Don’t forget to mix in target keywords into this text to further improve your profile’s SEO.
- Tag relevant people. Tagging people in your posts indirectly influences your ranking. If tagged users interact with your content, the algorithm favors your content, finding it relevant and useful.
- Request tags from others. Having your profile appear in other users’ content boosts your visibility and benefits your search ranking as well. Thus, it’s vital to your SEO to engage with other active users, especially niche influencers.
The LinkedIn algorithm gives significant weight to your activity on the platform. Consistently publish insightful, thought-provoking content about your niche and engage with your feed. Comments, reactions, and interactions have a direct impact on your visibility in search results.
SEO Specialist at Snov.io
Examples of successful SEO optimization on LinkedIn
Knowing the theory is good, but it’s best to supplement this knowledge with practical examples. Let’s look at real-life examples to get a better idea of what successful SEO for a LinkedIn page looks like.
1. SEO for a personal LinkedIn profile
The profile below incorporates all of the hallmarks of effective SEO:
- A clear professional photo.
- A page background that shows the user’s area of expertise, and their achievements, and also calls visitors to act.
- A well-written headline that incorporates industry-specific keywords and hashtags.
- A geo-location.
- A complete “About” section that displays the user’s business offer. Note that the text contains niche keywords. They help make this profile highly searchable for people looking for lead generation and sales-related content.
- Valuable and relevant content in the “Featured” section that draws visitors’ attention and enhances the user’s authority and trustworthiness.
Tap on the image to zoom in:
2. SEO for LinkedIn company page
The structure of the company page differs from the personal profile. Luckily, the principles of SEO optimization stay the same. Take a look at the Snov.io company page and note how it’s SEO-optimized to rank higher in search results on LinkedIn and beyond:
- A branded page picture.
- A company page background that demonstrates the company’s achievements and communicates our business offer.
- A concise headline supplemented with industry-specific keywords.
- A geo-location.
- A short “Overview” section that explains how our clients would benefit from partnering with Snov.io. This section has keywords that are organically incorporated into the text. It’s simultaneously informative and highly searchable.
- A complete “Specialties” section filled with relevant keywords.
Key takeaways
Always consider SEO, whether you’re a seasoned social seller or just starting to promote your business on social media. LinkedIn SEO is a powerful tool for enhancing your professional visibility and connecting with the right audience.
Use information from our article to optimize your profile and page, and see your success grow. Remember that the LinkedIn algorithm is updated frequently, so be sure to revisit it periodically to stay up-to-date. We strive to stay ahead of the trends and update our articles with the latest advice.
Also, keep in mind that successfully selling on social media doesn’t come down to only being found. It’s about making a lasting impression and building relationships with your prospects and customers.
We also offer a free course that covers all aspects of lead generation and sales on LinkedIn, not just SEO optimization. Join Snov.io Academy to become a social selling expert and reach your sales quota in no time!
